A little over two years ago, Magnolia Manor opened up and became a premiere destination for brides throughout Central and South Florida. What many of you do not know is that this venue isn’t just for brides anymore. Over the past few months they have been partnering with several local Vero Beach businesses for their employee appreciation events and corporate fundraisers. Not only have business’s been utilizing Magnolia Manor’s 10-acre rustic property but several private social events have been held within their grounds as well. With an open-air bar, unique cocktail and bar space and enough parking for a small city this property definitely has it all.

This past June they hosted an extravagant Casino Royale themed event for a local business man’s surprise 60th birthday. Now I know what you are thinking, how did they turn an outdoor barn space into something out of a Bond movie? It took several months of strategic planning, sneaking around Vero Beach and vendors from Miami all to the way to Orlando to pull it off.

Of course, the first thing you need to turn a party into a Casino Royale themed event are Casino Tables. Magnolia Manor partnered with the Orlando based Casino Events of Florida. Their tables are some of the best around and seem to come straight from the Las Vegas Strip. A total of 5 tables were brought in - one poker, two blackjack, one craps and one roulette – along with two slot machines and some amazing 5’H playing cards that really helped pull the look together. Not only did Casino Events of Florida and their team work with the Magnolia Manor team throughout the planning process but their staff during the event played up the theme, socialized with the guests and really helped the overall atmosphere come to life.

Next thing you need for a Casino Party is a great bar and some out of this world food. Wild Thyme Catering, located in Vero Beach, brought this culinary vision to life. Cocktail hour was filled with shrimp cocktails, a charcuterie station and lamb lollipops that were worthy of the royalty who visit Monte Carlo. During dinner guests were invited to browse the buffet in search of their perfect meal. The buffet offered everything from a beef tenderloin carving station to salads, to twice baked potatoes and paella. Anyone who’s anyone knows that you can’t really have a birthday party without a birthday cake. For this The Cake Lady Custom Cakes, out of Fort Pierce, was called in. A decadent two-tier chocolate tuxedo cake complete with fondant poker chips was created for the fifty guests to enjoy. All I can say about this, is if you haven’t tasted her creations, it is definitely worth stopping by if you are in the area. With all these options guests left not only happy but definitely full.

Now that the larger aspects of the event were taken care of it was time to turn their attention to the details. To bring this over the top event to life, Magnolia Manor rented black sequin and black shantung linen from Orlando linen vendor GBS Linens. Each table alternated between the two linens while red rose centerpieces, that were made in house by Magnolia Manor, adorned each table. Positioned in the center of the bar was an oversized martini glass ice luge from So Cool Events out of Miami. Not only did they provide this epic statement piece for the bar but an oversized “60” carved out of ice was brought in and placed next to the cake. Final touches of Red Sheer Fabric where brought in by Magnolia Manor and placed across the top of the bar and at the entrance into the barn to bring more of a casino feel to the venue.

Whether you are planning a simple rustic wedding or an over the top themed event is it important to have an open mind when it comes to your venue and how you can transform it into your dream event space. Let’s say you want a garden themed cocktail party, but because this is Florida there’s a high chance of rain, so you book a ballroom to cover your bases. There are a million ways to transform that four walled space into an elegant garden reminiscent of Jay Gatsby’s. Same thing goes for Magnolia Manor. All you need is a little imagination, a dash of creativity and vendors who see your vision and can make it a reality.